A Classy Lady

"Come on…airbending slice! Slice!...cut…make a gust of wind that severs stuff!" Bumi growled waving his arms different ways trying to cut the flowers. Since he recently got his airbending he was trying to learn everything he could so he, like his brother and sister (much to his annoyance) could use his bending when he was too lazy to do things, flower collecting happened to be one of them. "Listen here you sorry bunch of leaves and petals," he whispered laying on his stomach glaring at a large bed to flowers. "we can do this the airbending way or I could get my sword, either way you guys are coming with me."

"Why are you talking to flowers uncle Bumi?" Meelo asked looking over his shoulder at the plants.

"Oh ugh…I wasn't." he said quickly jumping to his feet and dusting the dirt off his clothes. "I got to pick all these though and was trying to use airbending to do it."

"Why are you picking flowers? Dad says no flower picking in the garden."

"Well, I am just…listen half pint, I am getting these flowers for a girl. See there is this gorgeous long legged goddess of an earthbender named Lin who I hear has a thing for airbenders…"

"Oooooooh! Uncle Bumi's got a girlfriend!" Meelo sang.

"I will if this works." He smiled widely.

"You can get flowers in the market too. You could get those."

"Those? Those aren't nearly good enough. I can't give Lin just any namby pamby flowers! These are the nicest flowers I have seen around and they are perfect for her. A handsome woman like her deserves only the best. Lin is a classy lady, short stuff, and she deserves classy flowers like this and I am the guy to give em to her. " Bumi paused chagrined realizing who he was talking to. "So um…kid..don't be saying I said that stuff to anyone." No use getting in his brother's bad books by having his son call the first girl he sees a long legged goddess.

"I won't." He grinned showing his missing teeth. "Mom said a bad word once and told me not to say it."

"That's exactly right. No bad words kid." He said with a nod. "Do you…know a way to airbend these?" Bumi gestured to the garden feeling a bit relieved at the boy's large smile and eager nodding.

It wasn't until later Bumi waved goodbye to the boy carrying half the garden away with him in a basket on his back and another in his arms. The ferry ride got him some odd looks and he had shoo off a few people who thought he was a flower vender. These flowers weren't for mere mortals. He thought with a sniff. If he remembered correctly Lin was working the day shift and would be back around five thirty. It was three now which meant he had plenty of time to carry out his plan and be well out of Republic City by that time. The airbender made it to the large metal gates that led to her house and groaned. "Can't make this easy can you babe?" he asked to no one in particular. He wished he knew more airbending, Tenzin or even one of the kids could have cleared the tall gates easily. Bumi got on his knees, put the basket in his hands on the ground and started slipping every flower in it between the bars until he had an empty basket. A few failed attempts to push the bowl shaped basket that he had been carrying in his hands through as well caused him to grumble and toss it out. "Can't make it easy." he said nervously. Bumi could fight a bunch of guys at once, sail seas, but he did NOT do heights. Luckily her house was a bit secluded with rocks and trees which meant no one would see a grown man trying to climb the gates. "Okay…don't look down. That's the first rule. Don't look down." he chanted this as he finally made it to the top wondering how he was going to maneuver himself over the spiked points at the top. He lifted one leg over it, being mindful of where those metal spikes were at all times but before he could get his second foot over it got tangled and he lost his footing letting out a cry of shock. If he hadn't somehow airbended himself a soft landing, Bumi was sure Lin would be scraping him up off her lawn. "Nice." he smiled seeing not only was he now on the other side but that the flowers on his back were unharmed as well. After collecting all the flowers he had slipped through the bars he made his way towards the house.

His amore's home was exactly how he pictured it would be: stone, Spartan, despite the sheer unimaginable size of the Beifong fortune, the home wasn't luxurious. Nothing fancy and got the job done, just how he liked his women. His smile widened as he peeked into a kitchen cabinet seeing a large row of different flavored teas which was stored with a bag of sweets and several bars of chocolate. The fridge was full much to his surprise. Lin seemed like the type to live on booze, coffee, and take away yet aside from all those sweets in her cabinet, she looked like a real health nut who unlike Tenzin ate plenty of meat. Her lounge had a large fireplace and two comfy chairs, a side table by one chair's arm had a half empty bottle of spirits, a book, and a box of tissues. Closer inspection of the book showed it to be a romance novel about a mute healer from the water tribe who fell in love with a wayward firebending deserter. Library book-no doubt she paid someone to borrow it for her, no one ever saw the chief with a romance novel and her entire book shelf against the far wall was all about earth and metalbending, strategies, history, a couple poetry books by Iroh the first, and several thrillers. After his journey here he was tempted to take a seat until he remembered he was on a time limit, he couldn't sit in her chair or even drink her spirits, regardless of how good a year they were. Bumi was having such a good time looking around the house he didn't see the shadow trailing behind him. "Here we are." He grinned as he opened the door to see a plain bed that was made up with the same earth kingdom colors as the curtains. The man let out a loud groan of relief when he dropped his loads on the floor. Flowers of purples, blues, and whites were arranged everywhere when he was done and he knew this had to be his most brilliant idea, or his worst, he didn't know yet. After the last flower was laid out he peeked in the closet to see white tank tops, black pants, training outfits, and a single green dress all clean pressed on hangers with training shoes, sandals, and a pair of heels jammed in the back corner of the closet. Bumi couldn't help taking a large inhale and smiling. How often did a man get a chance to stop and see what Lin Beifong smelled like and still keep their nose and the rest of their limbs in the process? The scent suited her: parchment, earth, vanilla, and some smell he couldn't name but it was decidedly hers. The oddity of the fact that he was sniffing her closet was realized after about the fifth deep breath. He just liked her smell, it wasn't like he was sniffing her pillows or going through her drawers. Bumi's fun was sent to a screeching halt when he heard a sound behind him, a thump like someone had plopped down on the bed. Well, I lived a nice life. Bumi swallowed the nervous lump in his throat when he heard it again. The third time made him turn around quickly to see it was Meelo jumping on the end of the bed doing airbending flips while he was in the air.

"This bed is awful!" the boy cried out. "Feels like a rock." He said doing one more jump before landing on the floor.

"Meelo!" Bumi gasped in surprise. "Wha-what are you doing?! You shouldn't be here!" he paced back and forth his voice laced with panic; it was one thing for him to get killed, it was another to throw a kid into the mix as well. "How did you even-?"

"Followed you. Nice climbing, I didn't know people could climb stuff like that without bending."

"Okay yeah, thanks. Now we got to leave." He went to rush out of the room before running back in pulling out a parchment from his pocket proceeding to scratch a quick note before leaving it on her pillow and grabbing Meelo. His run towards the front room was stopped when he heard the door creak open. "Oh man!..Out the window!" He whispered pulling open her window seeing it was the second floor rather wondering how this would work until Meelo jumped out airbending his way to the ground. "I hate heights." Bumi squeaked jumping out only to have Meelo stop his fall with airbending. By the time Lin made it to her room both were long gone.

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To say Lin's day was tiring was an understatement. After having been dug out from under a mountain of paperwork and kicked out by Saikhan and a few of her men who commanded her to go take a break outside the stuffy office and that they would call her if anything happened, Lin decided to stop at her house for some of her tea and those leftovers rather than spending money on that unhealthy market snack food. She slammed the door behind her and made her way to the fridge grabbing the container of cold spicy chicken and rice she had cooked the other night and plopped down into her reclining chair. Just as the chopsticks were about to bring the first bite to her mouth Lin shot out of her seat when a strange smell reached her nose, it was masculine. The meal was forgotten as she stormed through the house, bending ready to strike as she stalked silently through the halls searching each room until she made it to her bed room. The sight that greeted her was unexpected and terrifying. Someone had broken into her house and left flowers all over her room. They were gorgeous flowers that filled the room with the most beautiful floral scent, but the fact that someone, maybe a stalker or released criminal trying to taunt her had been inside her home left the chief with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. A piece of folded parchment caught her eye and she reluctantly picked it up with one of her metal cables mindful of the possibility that the parchment itself could have been doused in a toxic substance. One never knew with the Triads. The handwriting was sloppy and rushed and the spirit awful rhyme made her groan out loud and roll her eyes at the sheer corniness of it.

"Dear Lin what can I say? Your charm has stolen my breath away. Your lovely hair and dark green eyes completely melt my insides. Thinking of you- B"

"Good grief!" she grimaced. An anonymous admirer with her home address, that's all she needed! She would find this guy whoever he was and throw him in a cell faster than he could say 'ouch'.

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"Wow kid! That was a close call!" Bumi sighed with relief as he led Meelo through the crowded market. "A minuet more and humanity would have been down two airbenders."

"Why don't you want Lin to see you? I bet she would like the flowers." clearly he didn't know just what Lin Bumi was trying to impress.

"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if she found ou- oh no! I left my lock picking kit there!" Evidence! She would be on his trail in no time!

"At the house? I got it!" Meelo said in a sing song voice before dashing off in a blur.

"Wait!" Bumi's cry came out too late seeing the child was long gone. "Tenzin is gona kill me!" the man groaned running after the kid.

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Lin was about to the end of the trail leading from her house, a basket in hand (air nomad made if ever she saw one) on her way to the police station to say she would be taking the rest of the day off. She had such a large pile of vacation days gathered Tenzin had once joked about it. That man! If he did this Pema would be hearing about it! The chief had long since gotten over Tenzin and although she at first was outraged and destroyed half the island before throwing Pema in jail Lin was so relieved she had later approached the acolyte and hugged her thanking her for saving her from becoming a worn out baby factory. She couldn't stand children and knew she would probably have left them trapped in rock tents if she was forced to care for even one. That hug was ended by her whispering to the woman that if she ever told anyone about it that she would throw her behind bars and set the bail so high that all the council's pay combined for the year wouldn't even cover a fraction of the cost. Pema had mere smiled and waved good bye before running back towards the temple when she heard the sound of vases breaking.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a flash of yellow and red and felt a gust of wind whip her hair. Not today mister. She thought back tracking her steps. It wasn't but thirty seconds later she saw the colors heading back in her directions that she used earthbending to raise a rock wall and her metal wires to grab the fleeing sneak.

"No! I'm innocent!" A voice yelped struggling against the cables that held him in the air, his tiny feet kicking.

"You boy are in a lot of trouble." Lin growled carrying the him to the station. Officers took to seeing their chief carrying a struggling little airbender towards the back of the station with surprise but no one bothered asking, the chief had her reasons for doing stuff. The boy continued shouting things like 'I'm innocent!' and 'I plead not guilty on the count of being five!' until Lin finally put her hand over his mouth to silence him pulling back with a yelp when he licked her palm.

"That won't work! You can't silence me copper!"

"Enough!" Beifong proceeded to wipe her drool covered hand on the side of her armor. "Now talk. What were you doing in my house? Breaking and entering is against the law you know."

"I wasn't breaking stuff in your house."

"Breaking and entering: going in my house without permission. Well? Did you enter without my permission? "(nod)" Was I there to let you in?" ('no') "That is called breaking and entering and what do you think you were doing leaving all those flowers everywhere?" Lin knew this child wasn't working alone, this was way too reckless for the kid, let alone the fact that he had no idea where she even lived. "Were you working alone?"

"No- Yes! Yup, just me- I um..didn't leave those there."

"So they just walked into my room?" Lin asked sarcastically.

"Yes?" This meek response got several snickers from the men who were eavesdropping until Lin turned to glare at them. "They were there to begin with."

"I don't need to be an earthbender to know you are lying. Now, before I turn you over to your parents you are going to tell me who was stupid enough to drag you to my house then leave you there. Your father is not going to be happy that you dug up his garden either."

"We had to!" Meelo seemed to be thinking to the point where his cheeks were turning red until finally he yelled. "WE CAN'T JUST GET MARKET FLOWERS! THEY ARE NAMBY PAMBY! THAT LONG LEGGED GORGEOUS GODDESS OF AN EARTHBENDER NAMED LIN IS GOING TO GET THESE FLOWERS BECAUSE SHE IS A HANDSOME CLASSY LADY AND CLASSY LADIES GET NICE FLOWERS! THAT LADY IS GONA GET THESE NICE FLOWERS AND I'M THE MAN TO GIVE THEM TO HER!" The little airbender pointed at his chest and was panting for breath not even noticing that the entire station had stopped all activity and was staring slack jawed at the boy (Lin included). "Yeah. So you see…but he didn't say it right because you are not a handsome lady." the innocent remark was followed by several gasps of horror. 'oh no he is really in for it now!' was no doubt the group thought. "You're not handsome because handsome is for boys and pretty is for girls so you are a long legged goddess, pretty classy lady." he said twiddling his small hands.

Lin shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be Tenzin- or any other man with a scrap of intelligence if he was saying that in front of Meelo. "The rest of you better get back to your work or I will have you doing drills until you all turn into waterbenders am I clear?!" Her command sent them running back to their tasks as she turned and dangled the boy out by the back of his robes. The ferry ride was a relatively quiet one despite the fact that the little airbender kept trying to get to her hair to put it in his mouth having succeeded once before she knew what he had been trying to do. "Last chance boy, I can put in a good word with your father if you tell me who your accomplice is."

"Nope. Sorry pretty lady." Meelo crossed his arms.

"Your funeral." Beifong shrugged as the ferry landed. Air acolytes along the way looked like they wanted to save their leader's son from the chief but none of them dared to approach her.

"Lin?" Pema asked confused looking out the cracked door seeing the woman tapping her fingers impatiently on the door frame.

"You seemed to have misplaced something." the older woman replied moving her arm so Meelo was now dangling in front of Pema.

"Meelo!" she gasped. "Where did-?"

"He was in republic city and decided to break into my house with a friend."

"Break-?...REPUBLIC CITY?! What were you doing there?!" the woman admonished. "oh my Lin! Thank you so much for bringing him back! My baby!" the woman cried throwing herself at the metalbender almost making them both loose their footing.

"Pull yourself together woman!" Lin gasped as Pema was hugging her with enough force to dent her armor. "Take him. I don't want him near my house again. I trust you will punish him accordingly for leaving the island."

"Meelo." Pema said warningly making the five year old turn to his mother with a nervous smile."You need to tell Miss Beifong here who you were with."

"Nope. Not a chance." he said matter of factly.

"Meelo. We will be dealing with desserts if you don't tell the truth." The boy looked like he was about to talk but quickly made a zipping motion with his lips. "I will deal with this Lin, I'm sorry for the trouble, we will pay if he broke anything." the acolyte sighed.

"Nothing was broken but the lock was scratched. I honestly don't think he has acquired lock picking skills from Tenzin. That man couldn't open a sliding door to save his life." Lin mumbled turning to leave giving a sharp wave and storming off back to the ferry to head to the station where she would grab something small along the way having missed her lunch.

"Lin? What's the meaning of this?" Tenzin's surprised voice came behind her making Lin roll her eyes and sigh.

"I was returning your kid."

"Oh, thank you very much." he sounded greatly relieved before continuing almost in a daze."….I was just…in the garden.." he said looking dismayed. "They're all gone."

"Let me guess, are you perhaps talking about several rather fetching armfuls of blue, purple, and white flowers?" at the mans sad nod she smiled warmly pulling a flower out of her pocket she had plucked off of Meelo, the white bloom was crumpled from being stuck in the band of his pants and tapped the man on the nose with it. "There you go, enjoy." she dropped it in his hand and left.

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"MEELO! MEELO!" Bumi shouted over the crowed. He was a dead man! "You! Have you seen an airbender? He's bald, missing a front tooth, and is about this high." he said holding his hand up to the length of his knee. The random shopper shook his head before pulling out of the man's grasp. Bumi decided that he needed to go to the police station to see if perhaps there was a Meelo-kabob cooking in a cell because he didn't see any sign of the boy at Lin's house.

An hour or so later Bumi found himself in his own cell in the station. The new bender wasn't sure how it happened but he was in jail, it could have perhaps been the fight he got in with that earthbender who was twice his size after the man insulted him. It might also have been that in the process he accidently punched an officer that was trying to break them up when the man moved at the last second. Either way he was happy to know Meelo wasn't in here too, plus he would get to see that beauty of a chief when she returned from where ever she was. "This isn't the worst cell I've been in." Bumi called out to the police man that was lounging back in a chair by the cell absentmindedly using metalbending to make a coin change shapes as he tossed it in the air and caught it. "It was winter, I had just taken down a wild ice saber-toothed moose lion with my bear hands when-"

"When you were captured." the man sighed with boredom guessing where the story would be going . "You took out fifty men before they caught you." he said sarcastically.

"Sheesh, you can really suck the joy out of a room can't cha?" Bumi grumbled moving to lay on the thin bed in the cell and ignore the man.

"Chief." the officer practically stumbled out of his chair before standing at attention and giving the displeased woman a salute.

"You can go. Seems I have been plagued with the next shift." Beifong sighed waiting for the man to leave before slamming the door behind him and dragging his seat further away from the cell before sitting down.

"Lin, babe, you are looking fabulous today." Bumi grinned. "Is that new armor? Tell me that is new armor because you are looking very slim-"

"Can it." she flicked her fingers at him before presenting him with her back.

She is so into me. The man smiled to himself as he stared at the ceiling.

Lin had been forced to buy take away noodles which if it wasn't from The Silver Salamander Restaurant had a strange taste to it and would no doubt cut her life short but she hadn't eaten since early evening last night and was hungry.

"You know," Bumi said wagging an eyebrow flirtatiously at the woman. "You could say right now we are on a date." He smiled when the woman slurped the noodles up wrong and choked coughing to clear her throat rather ungracefully.

"How on earth do you figure that?!" She bit out wiping her chin with the side of her hand.

"Well, there is food involved, it's quiet, and it's just the two of us. I can do a little serenading if you want hun."

"Congratulations Bumi, you broke Tarrlok's record for how fast a man can make me loose my appetite." she shook her head shoving the half eaten container away from her.

"It cuts!" Bumi cried clinging to his chest dramatically and falling back onto his bed.

"…It was you!" she snarled standing up storming to his cell. "You broke into my house!"

"Guilty as charged. Have your foul way with me you ice queen!" he said throwing his arms out in dramatic surrender as if to embrace her.

"You're an idiot." she crossed her arms looking annoyed.

"I'm your idiot babe."

Before she could respond the phone rang making her abandon her scathing reply to answer it. "Republic City Police, this is Chief Beifong speaking."

"Lin? This is Tenzin, I was wondering if-"

"If your idiot brother was here? That would be a yes."

"Oh good." he sounded relieved. "I was beginning to worry."

"Well don't, get your airheaded butt over here and pay his bail. They don't pay me enough to have to watch him."

"Well…I am actually a bit tied up right now- Ikki! Kids- Don't jump on that!" Tenzin shouted, his voice dulled by speaking away from the phone and excited squeals could be heard in the background. "Can I get you the bail tomorrow when I stop by the council for the meeting?"

"You want me to let him go without bail upfront?" she growled.

"Well would you rather he stay the night?"

Lin looked up to see Bumi making kissy faces at her. "You will bring me that money before my shift ends tomorrow or I will take my payment out on your hide, am I clear?"

"Crystal." the Tenzin said with a tingle of nervousness in his voice.

"Good night Tenzin." She said quickly hanging up the phone. "Good news Bumi, You get to leave." She said with the closest thing she could to a smile at the moment. She then used metalbending to fly the keys to the lock of his cell and opening it rather than doing it herself and risk being within arms reach of him. "You're free to go."

"So…If I say happened to do something to get myself locked back in here..?"

"Out you spoony nitwit!" she led him to the back door holding it open for him.

Bumi gave her a sad smile not really joking anymore. "You should you know…consider me getting you dinner sometime."

"And why would I do that?" Lin gave him another shove towards the door.

"Because despite all your bluster you don't like being alone."

"I'm just fine alone."

"Well I'm not fine with you being alone and I'm gona keep bugging you until you give into me." He said standing a little taller.

"Yeah right Bumi, that will be the da-" her words were cut off when he quickly moved to crush her in his arms and smother her with a passionate kiss that threatened to curl her toes before rushing off as fast as he could.

"BUMI YOU IDIOT!" She bellowed after him but didn't move at all to chase him. Anyone that saw her would think her face being bright red would be because she was angry and she wasn't planning on correcting them either. She felt an involuntary shiver go down her back at the warm feeling that was left with her feeling her heart race as she brushed her swollen lips experimentally with two fingertips. "Moronic man." She said quietly noticing at some point during the exchange he had managed to slip three flowers into her belt. The chief moved quickly back indoors hoping no one would see her small smile or the fact that she was blushing.

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After a good loud scolding the following day by both Tenzin and Pema, Bumi sighed miserably lugging the basket that had a hand shovel, tiny rake, and seeds in one hand and a watering can in the other. He received a few snickers on his way there on account of the fact he was wearing an apron, gardening gloves, and Pema's sun hat. You would think airbenders would be against the whole 'cruel and unusual punishment' thing. He grumbled to himself entering the ruined garden to see Meelo sitting on a large rock with his head in his hands.

"Hey kid." He greeted dropping his supplies and sitting beside the rock. "So…I heard you lost your deserts for a week."

"Yeah."

"Well why did you do that?" He asked confused. "They knew it was me kid, I mean who else would be crazy enough to break into a woman's house? You could have said I did it and saved your desserts."

"Well you didn't snitch on your friends when you went on an adventure did you?" Meelo looked over at his uncle.

"Not a chance." the man grinned. "The best sorts are secrets."

"Well that's why then. So, did you get Lin to be your girlfriend?"

"No luck kid, but I'm not giving up. Your dad is making me replant the garden now though." Bumi grumbled. "Man you gave up your dessert for me? That's some real stuff."

"It's okay Bumi, we can try another way to get Lin to be your girlfriend." Meelo beamed at him.

"Hey, since you gave up your desserts you can have this if you don't tell." a mischievous smile reached his face as he pulled out a sweet cake and gave it to the kid not insulted that he almost lost his hand to the boy's teeth in the process. "So kid, I was thinking instead of breaking into her house we could try to do her office next, what do you think?"

"She'll be yours!" Meelo shouted happily jumping off his seat. "She can't run from us! We're airbenders and we'll get her."

Bumi was feeling better already, despite him having to wear a woman's sunhat. He rather liked the idea of having this kid as a partner in crime.

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